1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for opening lids of containers, such as medicine containers, and more particularly, to a lid opening apparatus for users with limited use of their fingers, such as arthritis sufferers.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Pharmaceutical or medicine containers all have lids which require a degree of hand dexterity to remove. Some lids are more difficult to remove than others. For example, child-resistant lids generally have to be aligned in a preselected position before they can be removed from the container. Some of these containers present a challenge to able-bodied adults, but can be virtually impossible to remove by a person with limited use of their fingers, such as arthritis sufferers, diabetics, persons who have had hand injuries, etc. For such persons, some sort of apparatus to assist in removing the lids is desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,763 to Trick et al., discloses a self-gripping cap remover for child-resistant medication containers. This device includes one or more substantially cylindrical recesses for receiving different-sized caps. A disadvantage of this apparatus is that it can only be used for those preselected sizes and has limited flexibility for the great variety of containers in the marketplace. The present invention solves this problem by having an outwardly opening V-shaped channel which provides substantially unlimited accommodation to various sized containers and lids.
Another prior art gripper for container caps is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,129 to Allen. This device has a substantially spherical body which requires some degree of gripping by the fingers of the user. The present invention solves this problem by having a domed outer surface which can be engaged by the hand of a user without the necessity of gripping with the fingers and having the laterally opening channel more or less aligned with the wrist of the user so that the apparatus may be easily manipulated to remove pop-off caps by tilting with respect to the container or rotating threaded caps.
The present invention is an apparatus for opening a lid on a container. Alternatively, it may be referred to as a lid opening apparatus or simply a lid opener.
The apparatus comprises a substantially domed upper portion whereby a user can obtain a grip thereon with one of the user""s hands with limited engagement of the fingers on that hand, and a lower portion defining a laterally opening lid receiving channel therein. The lid receiving channel is adapted for receiving at least a portion of the lid of the container laterally therein. The user may engage the lid and apply opening pressure thereto, either by tilting or rotating, while holding the container in the other hand. The upper and lower portions preferably are integrally formed to form a single body.
The upper portion has a frictional outer surface thereon which is preferably formed by a layer of an elastomeric material, such as rubber. The domed upper portion may have a partial substantially spherical configuration, but other curvilinear shapes may also be used.
The channel has a pair of angularly disposed sides in a substantially V-shaped configuration. The sides are joined by a radiused corner. The sides may have a frictional surface thereon which may be formed by an elastomeric material, such as rubber. A planar surface is located adjacent to the channel. This planar surface may also have a frictional surface, preferably formed by a layer of elastomeric material, such as rubber.
The frictional surfaces on the planar surface and the sides of the channel are adapted for engaging a lid of a container or the container itself. For lids which are threaded onto the container, the apparatus is rotated with respect to the container to unfasten the lid.
In one embodiment, the channel has a recess therein adapted for receiving a portion of a lid of a container therein. A shoulder is located in the channel and is adapted for engaging the lid of the container and raising the lid with respect to the container. This is used for containers with pop-off lids.
Stated in another way, the apparatus comprises a body comprising a domed upper portion and a lower portion defining a V-shaped channel therein formed in part by a pair of angularly disposed sides, a layer of elastomeric material disposed on the upper portion to form a frictional surface thereon, and a layer of elastomeric material disposed on the sides of the V-shaped channel to form a frictional surface thereon. The V-shaped channel preferably defines a recess therein extending outwardly from the sides of the V-shaped channel. The lower portion of the body defines a substantially planar surface adjacent to the V-shaped channel, and another layer of elastomeric material may be disposed on the planar surface to form a frictional surface thereon. The channel opens laterally outwardly of the body.